As businesses become more international, so must our writing. Most of the time, good business writing skills transfer very well to global audiences, but there are some things that you want to keep in mind about intercultural relations. Much research has been done on this topic, so I’ll include links for further reading.
I am hesitant to include examples because they may not be true even five years from now — I have seen so much change in the time that I have been teaching! With that said, I will add some examples to make these concepts clearer.
You may be interested in our English Business Writing Course for non-native writers (ESL).
The way that we show respect to our superiors and our coworkers varies dramatically across cultures.
From the outside, the U.S. looks like it has a fairly casual and egalitarian work structure. For example:
This is not the case in many other cultures/countries. In some places, hierarchy, class, status, and rank are very important, and they require you to act and speak very differently depending on the content. For example:
Use the keywords “honorifics + country name” or “attitudes towards hierarchy + country name” to do a bit of research when starting a new project with a global group. This could avoid a lot of problematic misconceptions about your teammates and how they are responding to you.
Ideas about time are tied to culture. It could be the culture of your particular workplace or the culture of the larger society, but how we think about time varies dramatically.
These are often cultural differences, but they can vary widely across workplaces. (I work in Higher Education, and the decision-making process is painfully slow compared with the private sector!) It’s important to remember that a missed deadline may not be due to laziness, but a difference of opinions about what deadlines actually mean.
If you find yourself getting frustrated with your global team, take a deep breath and do some research on time management and decision making. Use the keywords above, as well as attitudes about time, + country name. Doing this before a meeting or project begins can prevent much frustration.
Depending on where you work, ideas about change can vary widely, even within the U.S. For example:
Clearly, a group with different ideas about change will have difficulty finding a suitable solution. Finding a middle ground that values the traditional approach while allowing for innovation is tricky but invaluable when working with global teams. This could be as simple as acknowledging that the current innovation wouldn’t be possible without the groundwork laid by the traditional approach.
We've written several other blog posts on how to improve your business writing skills, but the overall message is this:
A combination of straightforward written communications and consideration for cultural differences will greatly improve your business communications, increase effectiveness, and save time. More info here:
Further reading:
“Managing Multicultural Teams” The Harvard Business Review
“Global Teams that Work” The Harvard Business Review
“How to Run a Meeting of People From Different Cultures” The Harvard Business Review